
Copyright^ . 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 



PRACTICAL TRACK 



AND 



FIELD ATHLETICS 




John Graham. 
Former Athletic Instructor at Harvard University. 



Practical 

Track and Field 

Athletics 

BY 

JOHN GRAHAM 

Former Athletic Instructor at Harvard University 

AND 

ELLERY H. CLARK 

Ail-Around Athletic Champion of America, 

1897, 190?; Ail-Around Athletic Chanv; 

pion of New England, 1896, 1897, 1909, 




NEW YORK 

DUFFIELD & COMPANY 
1910 






Copyright, 1904, by 
Fox, Duffield & Company 



Reprinted 1905-1910. 
Copyright, 1910, by 
Duffield & Company 

February, 1910 



©CI.A2612G1 



To Evert Jansen Wendell, athlete, 
and leader in the encouragement of 
athletics ; a representative of all that 
is best in American sport to-day, this 
book is dedicated by the authors. 



CONTENTS. 

Introduction 9 

Training In General 13 

Sprinting . 17 

The Quarter -mile Run 29 

The Half-mile Run 35 

The One -mile Run 39 

The Two -mile Run 43 

The Half-mile Walk 47 

The One -Hundred and Twenty Yards High Hurdle . . . 51 

The Two Hundred and Twenty Yards Low Hurdle . . . 57 

The Running High lump ~ . . . 61 

The Running Broad Jump . 67 

The Pole Vault ...... ... 73 

Putting the Sixteen-pound Shot 77 

Throwing the Sixteen-pound Hammer . ... . . . 85 

Throwing the Fifty-six-pound Weight 97 

Throwing the Discus 101 

The All-around Championship 105 



Note. — The American amateur records are given at the head of each chapter. 



INTRODUCTION. 




HE high place which athletic sports and ex- 
ercises occupy in our national life is a fact 
not open to argument. While we very 
properly encourage all branches of athletics 
and follow with interest the careers and 
records of those who excel in each particu- 
lar branch, it is peculiarly in keeping with 
what the founders of our constitution were 
wont to term "the genius of our institu- 
tions" that we should bend our best energies towards 
encouraging sports which are not restricted to a favored few, 
but are open to the people as a whole. 

Thus it is fitting that track and field sports should occupy 
an important position in the domain of athletic exercises. 
Football is confined largely to the Universities and Colleges; 
baseball consumes a great deal of time, tennis and golf take 
time and money as well; but track and field athletics, to 
borrow an expression used by ex-President Cleveland in 
speaking of the ideal democracy, seem particularly designed 
to "give the rank and file a chance." Sufficient capital to 
purchase a running suit and a pair of spiked shoes, sufficient 
nearness to one of the many outdoor athletic fields or in- 
door gymnasiums and a spare hour somewhere in the course 
of the day are all that are required to give any one a chance 

9 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 

to develop his latent possibilities at some one of the many 
forms of exercise open to him. 

Tn addition the public at large probably does not appre- 
ciate that track and field athletics furnish a great opportunity 
for the development of brain as well as muscle. To take a 
concrete example, there is a prevailing and most erroneous 
impression that throwing the hammer is a sport which calls 
merely for the exercise of brute strength. A man who has 
never seen a hammer before spreads his feet wide apart, 
swings the hammer awkwardly above his head, and when 
he attempts to make his throw loses his balance and very 
often falls at full length, while the hammer is hurled a dis- 
tance of some forty or fifty feet. At the other extreme we 
find a skilled performer like John Flanagan, the record 
holder, turning around three times at high speed within the 
narrow limits of the seven-foot circle and hurling the missile, 
with perfect control in every particular, some hundred and 
seventy feet. Between these two extremes lies the long 
course of training and practice, the gradual discovery of the 
different points which the athlete must acquire in order to be- 
come a successful performer. He must reason out for him- 
self why the hammer is swung in a certain way and why 
the distribution of the weight of the body and the position 
of the feet bring about given results. In a word, while 
weight, strength, and physical condition all play their part, 
their relative importance is slight compared with the knowl- 
edge of how the throw should be made. The same rule holds 
good in all other branches of track and field athletics. It is 

10 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 

doing the thing in the right way, the "knack," which counts. 
It is brain first and muscle next. 

Again, there is the physical benefit that comes from a 
rational indulgence in outdoor sports. The whole tendency 
of athletics works for good. The athlete abstains from 
liquor and tobacco. He does not eat unwholesome food. 
Exercise, bathing, and rubbing down keep his body clean 
and healthy. At the same time his mind is filled with 
healthy, natural outdoor ideals. He is not growing old too 
fast in an endeavor to rival the pathetic figure of the London 
gamin who says, "I'm ten years old, but if yer goes by the 
things I know, I'm most a hundred." 

Lastly, track and field sports are something more than 
mere pastimes. True, they are primarily a recreation and 
a consequent aid to the more far-reaching aims of our daily 
life, but running through them all there is_an undercurrent 
which calls forth and develops the same characteristics which 
make or mar us in affairs of greater moment. The athlete 
learns to appreciate the good qualities brought out in him- 
self and his mates by actual competition. He learns to value 
the great quality of gameness, the spirit which fights on un- 
dismayed in the face of apparent defeat, and again and 
again at the last moment pulls out a victory. He learns to 
respect the rights of his antagonists and comes to realize that 
his individual success or failure is nothing compared to the 
success of the meeting in which he is participating, that he 
must regard the rights of the officials and the spectators, and 
that true sportsmanship, and not the desire to win at all 
hazards, is the spirit which should govern competition. 

ii 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 

In a word, then, track and Held athletics deserve to be en- 
couraged because they are thoroughly democratic in char- 
acter, because they furnish an opportunity for the develop- 
ment of brain and muscle, and because they teach a man how 
to control himself and how to conduct himself toward his 
fellows. 



12 




CHAPTER I. 

Training in General. 

T is a truism that no workman, however skill- 
ful, can turn out a perfect piece of work- 
manship unless he has the proper tools with 
which to work. Similarly, no matter how 
much knowledge of his chosen branch of 
sport a runner or a jumper or a weight 
thrower may possess, he cannot convert 
theory into practical results unless he is 
physically in good trim. This, then, 
is the first problem which confronts the 
athlete before he comes to the second and more important 
one of how to acquire proficiency in any given event. He 
must try to discover how much exercise, how much sleep, 
how much food and what kind of food he requires to put 
him in the best possible condition. 

If any athlete should ask for a fixed set of rules by which 
to govern himself in these matters, the answer must be that 
no such rules can be laid down. Probably no two athletes 
are exactly alike in temperament and characteristics. If a 
trainer has a number of men in his charge he must make a 
study of each one and experiment for a time until he is rea- 
sonably sure that a certain course of exercise, sleep and diet 
will bring about certain results. After this knowledge is ac- 
quired training becomes a comparatively simple process. 
Many trainers of college and school teams, however, cannot 
seem to get this idea through their heads. The sweeping 



13 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 

order will be given perhaps to a hundred men, "Sprinters 
practice half a dozen starts and then run a hundred and fifty 
yards at top speed" or "Quarter milers jog an easy half 
mile." The same amount of work is meted out to the squad 
just as if its members were all cut out on the same model 
and would respond to the demands made on them in ex- 
actly the same way. The fallacy of this course is obvious. 
Take the case of two sprinters, both capable of doing even 
time when in the best possible condition. A, we will say, is 
not very strong physically but has a highly nervous tem- 
perament which gives him great speed for a short distance. 
B, on the contrary, is strong and of a phlegmatic disposition. 
If the routine work which is given the whole squad of sprint- 
ers is hard, punishing work, B will doubtless thrive under it 
and at the end of several months be at top form, while A 
with equal certainty will be completely overtrained and un- 
able to show anything like his real speed. If on the con- 
trary the work is light, we shall find A in first-class condition 
and B entirely undertrained. The first rule to remember 
then is to make a study of individual characteristics and re- 
member that nowhere more than in training is it true that 
one man's meat is another man's poison. 

It is probably true that the average athlete is more apt to 
overtrain than to undertrain. He enjoys his work and is 
apt to do too much of it, making a possible gain in strength 
and endurance at an almost certain sacrifice of the feeling of 
spring and buoyancy which accompanies the very top of con- 
dition. When one is overtrained it is not always a mere 
matter of a few days' rest to put a man right again, but it 
often means a lay-off for weeks before the athlete recovers 
his form. If a man is training for an important event which 
is to take place on a certain day and has plenty of time to 
get in good shape for it there are two theories as to the best 
method of preparation. Some athletes believe in getting 

14 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 

into their best form as soon as possible and then doing just 
enough work to keep themselves fit; others believe in work- 
ing up their condition gradually, deliberately seeking not to 
attain their best form until the day of the contest. Both 
plans have their dangers. In the first case overtraining and 
the bad results following an enforced lay-off are to be 
dreaded; in the second the athlete may do too little work 
in the desire to keep on edge. 

With regard to diet, individual taste must again be given 
some play, although not to such an extent as in the case of 
exercise. A good safe diet is probably somewhat as fol- 
lows: For breakfast some cereal, eggs or fish, toast and 
fruit; for dinner, steak or chops, beef or mutton, with plain 
cooked vegetables, stale bread or toast, and ice cream or 
some light, well cooked pudding for dessert; for supper, 
steak, chops or chicken, dry or milk toast and boiled rice or 
stewed prunes. This is not of course a hard and fast diet 
list, and it may be varied in many ways, but it is pretty sure 
that nothing on this list will prove harmful to the athlete. 

A few other rules which are almost self-evident may be 
noted to advantage. Plenty of sleep is a prime requisite, 
tobacco and alcohol are strictly prohibited and worry and 
nervous strain must be avoided if possible. Ice water must 
not be thought of. Plenty of good cool spring water cannot 
do the slightest harm as long as care is taken not to drink an 
excessive amount at meal times. A light rub down before 
exercising is beneficial and prevents the danger of straining 
a muscle, especially during the period of Fall training when 
the days begin to grow colder. A thorough massage after 
exercising is most beneficial and keeps the muscles from 
stiffening or growing sore. 

On the day of actual competition it is important to step 
to the starting line with plenty of energy in reserve, and it 
is a good plan to cease work altogether or to be content with 

is 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 

the very lightest practice for two or three days before an im- 
portant meeting. Where the contest is one of exceptional 
severity, as, for instance, the all-around championship, a rest 
of anywhere from four days to a week is not too much. 

After a season or two the athlete begins to discover for 
himself about how much work he needs to put him in good 
condition and consequently does not need to think so much 
about keeping in shape, but is able to devote more and more 
time to acquiring proficiency in the details of the event at 
which he is competing. 



16 



CHAPTER II. 



Sprinting. 



ioo Yards Dash, 93-5S., Dan J. Kelly, June 23, 1906. 220 Yards, 21 1-5S. 
B. J. Wefers, May 30, 1896. 




HE term "sprint" or "dash" Is confined to 
distances which a man can traverse at top 
speed and includes any distance from the 
ten yards dash sometimes found on the 
program of indoor athletic meetings, up to 
about three hundred yards. The standard 
distances, however, which come to mind at 
once whenever sprinting istalked of are the 
one hundred yards dash and the two hun- 
dred and twenty yards dash. 
The most important thing in sprinting is the start. The 
fastest sprinters are the men who develop their speed in the 
first thirty yards, and this faculty of developing speed early 
is due in a great measure to the start. Until within recent 
years all sprinters started standing up with the left f oot vn 
the starting line and the right foot some distance back, ac- 
cording to their length of leg. All this is changed now 
and to-day practically every one uses the low or crouching 
start, which experience has proved beyond all question to 
be the quickest. 

The athlete begins by measuring about four inches from 
the starting line and there digging the hole for his left foot. 



17 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 





; | 


'*r^ Jl it ■■A 




^ ' i 


k 1 








Hr JM^r^lHI 




— . 




■ 


■ 



Plate i. 
'on your marks !" t. f. keane, professional champion sprinter of 

AMERICA. 



The skilled performer is not satisfied with making a few 
scratches in the cinders with his spikes, although the novice 
often seems to regard this as sufficient preparation. The 
cinders should be carefully dug up with a small trowel or 
hoe for a depth of several inches at right angles to the di- 
rection in which the sprinter is going to run. The position 
for the right foot is found by placing the right knee opposite 
the middle of the left foot, and the spot where the right toe 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




*•* 




•111! 



Plate 2. 

'get set !' 



rests while the right leg is in this position is the place to 
dig the hole for the right foot. Both hands are placed on 
the starting line, with the fingers as a rule extended and the 
arms perfectly straight. When ready to start the right knee 
is raised from the ground, the body is moved forward, and 
the athlete is ready for the signal. No definite rule can. be 
laid down for the beginner as to the distance of the left 
foot from the mark and the right foot from the left. He 



19 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Plate 3. 
"go !•' 



must practice different distances until he feels sure that he 
has got the best arrangement possible. A change of an 
inch and a half in the position of the left foot has been 
known to make a noted sprinter at least a yard faster in the 
first fifteen yards. 

After the starter in a race has allowed the contestants a 
sufficient time to limber up and dig their holes he gives the 
order "Get on your marks," and the athlete assumes the 
position shown in plate No. 1. Next comes the command 



20 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Plate 4. 
the first bound. 

"Set" and the position shown in plate No. 2 is assumed. The 
weight must be well forward and the mind intent on one 
thing only, to spring away at top speed at the report of 
the pistol. With the crouching start there is no excuse for 
becoming unsteady and starting before the report of the 
pistol. Sometimes a novice, from excessive nervousness, will 
start too soon, and as a penalty he is set back one yard for 
each offense. Some athletes try to gauge the moment when 
the starter's finger is curling over the trigger of his pistol 

21 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Pliolo l.ij PietorinI Nrtcs C> 



Plate 5. 



A TYPICAL START; TNTERCOLLEGI ATK GAMES OF TOX)2. 



and to start just before the pistol is fired, when it is too late 
for the starter to check his finger. This is called "beating 
the pistol," and many athletes who would scorn to steal 
goods or money apparently think that it is perfectly proper 
to attempt to steal distance from their competitors in this 
manner. A little reflection will serve to show that trying 
to "beat the pistol" is nothing less than rank dishonesty, and 



22 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Plate 6. 

halfway down the stretch. schick of harvard defeating moulton of 
yale in the dual meet of 1902. 



a man who wins a race by this means can have little upon 
which to congratulate himself. 

A very common error in starting is to allow the body tcu 
assume an upright position too rapidly. The body should 
come up gradually, as shown in plates 3 and 4, and cor- 
rect running position is usually reached by the time the run 
ner has taken about four strides. It is not wise to try and 
take too long a stride at first. The strides should lengthen 

23 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Plate 7. 
a typical finish ; intercollegiate games of iqo: 



with the speed, until when the period of top speed is reached 
the athlete will be in full stride. 

The arms are of great service in sprinting, and the impor- 
tance of this fact is generally underestimated. When the 
hands are lifted from the ground at the start the left arm 
is moved forward and the right back, as shown in plate 
No. 3, so that arms and legs are working together in unison 
immediately after leaving the mark. Many novices make 
the mistake of throwing both arms forward or back, thus 

24 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 

preventing arms and legs from working together until after 
the runner has gone a considerable part of the distance. The 
arms are used in bent form and are moved almost straight 
forward and back and not across the bodv. 

The advantage which may be gained from breathing 
properly is another point which is not generally appreciated. 
It is a good plan to practice inhaling a long breath when 
the command is given to "set" and to hold it for twenty-five 
yards or more, then to exhale and take in another breath at 
fifty or sixty yards and exhale and inhale again for the final 
spurt. The body is more buoyant when the lungs are filled 
with air than it is with the lungs empty. This breathing 
practice can be carried to such an extent that men can sprint 
seventy-five yards on one breath inhaled at the start and then 
exhale and inhale for the last twenty-five yards, and men 
have been known to run one hundred yards at top speed on 
the one inhalation taken at the start. 

The athlete should try to run in as straight a line as pos- 
sible, and after traveling from ten to fifteen yards the foot- 
marks should be in a straight line to the finish. 

The work which is necessary to develop a sprinter con- 
sists of much practice in starting, fast dashes of from 
twenty to thirty yards, speed work at from seventy-five to 
•one hundred and fifty yards, and jogging or springing up 
and down the track to develop springiness. The sprinter 
must be taught to get his feet off the ground quickly, and 
to run on the ball of his foot all the time with the toes 
pointed straight ahead and not turned out in the position 
humorously referred to by trainers as "ten minutes of two." 
The knees should be raised more than in distance running 
and the body should be bent slightly forward over the legs. 
Before trying any speed work, at the beginning of the day's 
exercise the sprinter should jog up and down until he is 
thoroughly warmed up, and should not sit still at any time 

25 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS, 

during his practice. While waiting for his turn to start he 
should move up and down on his toes to keep the blood in 
circulation. 

After starting from the pistol and finishing the required 
distance it is always important to slow up gradually and 
finish twenty-five or thirty yards beyond the finish line, for 
stopping suddenly is one of the w r orst things a sprinter 
can do. 

If possible it is a good plan to do your work in com- 
pany with another runner, taking a start if you are his in- 
ferior or giving him one if you excel him. The little spice 
of friendly competition is good for both, and very often a 
friendly critic can detect faults which the sprinter himself 
would never think of. 

The sprinter's work should be varied. There must be 
days for practicing starting and running in good form, there 
must be days for "staying-up" work, and there must be days 
for regular speed trials. While one programme cannot be 
laid down which will cover the case of every sprinter, the 
following arrangement has proved a useful one for the aver- 
age man after he has done some gymnasium w T ork and has 
done some preparatory work on the track for about two 
weeks. On Monday the sprinter takes six or eight fast 
twenty-five yards dashes with thirty yards extra to slow up 
in. A short rest is taken before each start, and in con- 
clusion the sprinter runs a fast seventy-five yards at top 
speed. On Tuesday instead of starting he jogs up and down 
for a straightaway of about one hundred and fifty yards, 
taking easy, springy steps and allowing himself a short 
breathing space in the middle of the jog. After covering 
this distance several times he runs through the one hun-dred 
and fifty yards in the following manner: Getting away 
easily, he runs for about thirty yards with a gradual increase 
of speed, then gets in about ten fast strides, slows up, and 

26 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 

immediately repeats the process, finishing with an easy thirty 
yards. After a short rest he finishes the day's work by jog- 
ging an easy quarter mile, running as easily as possible and 
remembering to lean forward. Wednesday calls for the 
same work as on Monday, but the run at top speed is ex- 
tended to one hundred and fifty yards. On Thursday the 
sprinter jogs the one hundred and fifty yards distance three 
times, and finishes by doing three hundred and fifty yards at 
a fair gait. On Friday he runs through a fast hundred 
yards, takes a rest, and then runs a fast two hundred and 
twenty trial. Saturday's work is the same as that of Mon- 
day, but the short dash is reduced to fifty yards. 

It is wise to use corks in the hands. They are commonly 
called grips, and are made of cork with a rubber band run- 
ning through them, which is passed over the back of the 
hand before going to the start. They are a great help when 
a man is finishing, and, in fact, all runners derive some benefit 
from using them, sprinters especially. The running shoes 
have six spikes, arranged three on each side of the sole, and 
are made without heels. They should fit closely. For in- 
door running seven spikes should be placed in the sole, three 
on each side and one spike just under the big toe as far for- 
ward as possible. This spike will hold when starting on a 
wooden floor. For outdoor work it is a good plan to have 
a pair of practice shoes made to stand the preliminary work, 
and a pair of light racing shoes, which should be used only 
in competitions. 

As a rule, famous sprinters are gifted with a fair amount 
of speed before they ever learn to run, and it is due to this 
faculty, combined with the instructions they receive from a 
competent trainer, that they attain their great proficiency. 
Some years ago men were picked for certain distances and 
events, mostly by their appearance. For instance, a sprinter 
was a man of more than medium height with long legs, well- 

27 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 

developed thighs, and medium calves. Nowadays two of 
the fastest sprinters in America are below five feet eight 
inches in height. In fact, one man is only five feet one inch, 
but has beaten ten seconds for one hundred yards on several 
occasions, and has run two hundred and twenty yards in 
twenty-one and three-fifths seconds. It does not follow that 
short men are not proper material for the sprinting events 
as much as the taller men. As a rule, the latter prevail. It 
is uncertain just when a man will be at his fastest, but as a 
rule the third or fourth season is the most opportune. 



28 




CHAPTER III. 
The Quarter- Mile Run. 

440 Yards, 47s., M. W. Long, October 4, 1900. 

HIS race is one of the hardest at which the 
athlete has to compete, for it requires both 
speed and strength to become a good quar- 
ter-mile runner. Although the distance lies 
midway between the short dashes and the 
distance runs, it approaches the former 
much more nearly than the latter, and is 
practically a sprint all the way. Training 
for the quarter mile, while on the same plan 
as training for the shorter 3istances, calls for 
more u staying-up" work. The jogging distances must be 
lengthened and the speed work must be at longer distances 
than in training for the sprints, and must not be done at quite 
so fast a rate of speed. While the stride is the most impor- 
tant in the quarter mile, and consequently the point on 
which the athlete has to center the greater part of his atten- 
tion, he must not neglect to do considerable practice work 
at starting, for up to the present time almost all quarter-mile 
racing is done on an oval track and the starting point is 
usually only a short distance from the first corner. The 
fastest man in a race, if he is a slow starter, may easily be- 
come "pocketed" in the confusion which results from a large 
field of runners turning the first corner together at high 
speed, so that it is impossible for him to make up the distance 
thus lost. It seems probable that in the future more atten- 



29 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 



P^l 


n i^^m|| 


4 




\&4 J 











Photo by Pictorial .Vers Co. pi y,-, : Q 

DAN J. KELLY, CHAMPION SPRINTER, TRAVELLING AT QUARTER-MILE SPEED. 

tion will be paid to having the race run on long straight- 
aways with one turn and to having the first part of the dis- 
tance marked out with lanes as in the sprints. In any event, 
however, practice at starting is a good thing, for there is 
no opportunity to loaf in a quarter-mile race. The pace is 
fast at the start and keeps at pretty near top speed until 
within about fifty yards of the finish, where the runner has 
to exert every bit of muscular power and all the grit and de- 
termination which he possesses to bring him to the tape 
without faltering. 

30 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS, 




Photo by J. C. Hemmeni. 



Plate 9. 



T. E. BURKE DEFEATING M. LONG IN THE QUARTER-MILE AT THE NATIONAL 
CHAMPIONSHIPS OF 1897, IN 49 SECONDS. 

To acquire the proper stride for running a quarter mile 
the knees should be well raised and the athlete should run 
on the ball of his foot with the toes pointed straight for- 
ward. The body should be bent slightly forward and the 
arms, as in sprinting, should be moved straight forward and 
back, and not across the body. 

The work at the beginning of the track season after the 
athlete has done some preparatory work indoors, and is con- 
sequently in fair condition, should be of such an order as to 

?i 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHTTTICS. 




Plate 10. 

t. f. keane's style at the quarter, showing excellent form for the 
shorter and more stockily built runner. mr. keaxe was amateur 
champion of america at the quarter-mile in 1894. 



develop endurance. For the first week or two an easy half 
mile on Monday should be followed by a fair six hundred 
yards on Tuesday and two easy quarters with a rest between 
on Wednesday. On Thursday the athlete should run five 
hundred yards, the first two hundred and the last hundred at 
fair speed, and on Friday he should practice six or eight 
starts and finish with a good lively three hundred yards. On 
Saturday he should run a fairly fast quarter, getting away 

32 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Photo by J. C. Hemment 

E 



Plate tt. 



HOLLISTER OF HARVARD LEADING HIS FIELD IN THE HALF-MILE IN THE 
DUAL GAMES BETWEEN HARVARD AND YALE. 

to a fast start, then settling down into a good fair gait, 
thinking especially of his stride and finishing the last fifty 
yards at top speed. As the season advances the work should 
be made a little harder. The speed work should be done at 
a little faster rate and the athlete should go through some 
good fast two twenty yard and three fifty yard dashes. Once 
in two weeks at least he should run a trial to see whether it is 
endurance or speed that he lacks most. As in sprinting, it is 
always a good plan to work with others, practicing starting 
and getting to the first turn at top speed as if in actual com- 
petition. 

Quarter-milers as a rule are rather tall with long legs, 

33 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 

for a short man is not capable of developing a stride long 
enough to cover the distance in fast time. A man who can 
run a good two twenty yards can almost always be developed 
into a quarter-miler and vice versa. Occasionally phenomenal 
quarter-mile runners are discovered who are gifted with ex- 
ceptional ability and do not require a great deal of develop- 
ment. To the ordinary man, however, careful steady train- 
ing is bound to be of service. A man mav train for three 
years and think that his improvement is painfully slow, and 
then all at once will begin to develop very fast, and in a 
short time be running at greater speed than he ever 
dreamed of. 



34 



CHAPTER IV. 
The Half-Mile Run. 

880 Yards, im. 52 4-5S., Emiiio Lunghi, Montreal, September 15, 1909. 





&i 




f 


■^^^■"^i^ 




;V 


fill 
\ 







ITH the change from the quarter to the 
half-mile run, speed becomes of much less 
importance and endurance becomes an ab- 
solute necessity. Of course a first-class half- 
miler, a man who can beat two minutes, 
must be possessed of a fair amount ot 
speed, but endurance must be cultivated at 
all hazards. Some cross-country running 
during the winter, combined with gym- 
nasium work for the upper part of the body, 
is the best preparation for the running season. 

It is of the utmost importance that strict attention should 
be paid to good form and to the manner of striding. The 
knees should be carried fairly high and the athlete should 
run on the ball of his foot. Some men acquire the bad habit 
of curving the instep, which breaks and shortens the stride. 
While a long stride is desirable, the runner must be careful 
not to acquire an exaggerated style. The stride must be 
natural and comfortable, and he must b^ [able to sorint when 
called upon. The body should be; cafr-jgd slightly fp^Waird 
and the arms should not be swung too] high; but should ^be 
carried easily, so that the runner will .fe^ejl^tfi^tjheji^ getting 
some benefit from them. Another commofi fa|iltisj|o [raise 
the heels too high behind, w^stmg : emrgy^^r4m!dmg^ 
develop a slow style. , : tg 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Plate 12. 

w. colwell of harvard winning the half-mile in im. 58 3-5s. at the 
harvard fall games of i9o3. 

The programme for the first week on the track should be 
somewhat as follows: Monday an easy three-quarters, 
Tuesday a fair half, Wednesday some jogging and a good 
quarter mile, with special attention to running in good form, 
Thursday a fair six hundred yards, Friday an easy thousand 
yards, and Saturday some sprinting, with a good quarter to 
wind up with. Later on in the season this work may be in- 
creased somewhat and an occasional time trial should be run, 
as in the case of the quarter mile, so that the athlete may 

36 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




J'hoto by Pictori.il Sews Co. p>r a tf t o 

MELVIN W. SHEPPARD, OLYMPIC CHAMPION, I908. 

know whether the work he is doing is tending to make him 
deficient in speed or in endurance. 

While a first-class half-miler could do a quarter in some- 
where near fifty-two seconds, he usually runs the first quar- 
ter of a two-minute half in from fifty-seven to fifty-nine sec- 
onds. If he rurs his first quarter any faster than this, the 
pace tells upon him so that he is unable to make a strong 
finish. 



37 




CHAPTER V. 
The One-Mile Run. 

One Mile, 4m. 15 3-5S., T. P. Conneff, August 28, 1895. 

HE mile is one of the hardest running events 
on the entire programme, and the necessary 
endurance cannot be cultivated in a week or 
a month, or as a general rule in a year. 
Cross-country running is the best work that 
a mile runner can do to lay a thorough 
foundation for the subsequent training 
necessary for the mile. No one can expect 
to do wonders the first season, and as a 
rule the third year is better than the second 
and the fourth better than the third. 

It is of prime importance for the beginner to develop an 
easy manner of running, for in a hard race like the mile an 
easy style is bound to be of assistance. Every muscle must 
do its share and all the weight must not be thrown on the 
legs. The knees do not need to be lifted as high as in the 
shorter runs, but the stride adopted must be smooth, even, 
and springy. The longer the stride the greater the advan- 
tage to the runner, but he must remember not to over-stride 
in his attempt to gain ground and thus acquire an exagger- 
ated style. As in the shorter runs, he must run on the ball 
of his foot with the body carried a little forward and the 
arms swinging easily at the sides. It is of great importance 
to be a judge of pace, and if the runner always tries to figure 
at what gait he is running, he will be enabled to judge almost 



39 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Courtesy 0/ Boston Herald . TDy ATF T 1 

MR. COCKS HOTT, THE FAMOUS ENGLISH MILER. 

to a second the time which he is taking to run each quarter 
of a mile. It seems probable that about one minute and 
five seconds is fast enough for the first quarter, even if a 
man is trying to do the full distance in four minutes and 
thirty seconds. One noted amateur who could do four min- 
utes and thirty seconds for the mile used to run a slow three- 
quarters and run his last quarter in fifty-seven seconds, but 
such form as this is exceptional. Some men manage to 

40 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 

change their gait in the last lap, and thus relieve the leg 
muscles by placing a different tension on them. 

The following schedule is given for the average week's 
work: Monday a mile with a fairly good three-quarters 
and the last quarter easy. Tuesday a half mile in about two 
minutes ten seconds, a rest, and then another easier half mile, 
sprinting the last hundred yards. Wednesday jogging up 
and down the straightaway, rather quicker than if running 
a mile, followed by an easy one and one-half miles. Thurs- 
day a fast half, followed by a rest and an easy three-quarters. 
Friday an easy two miles, sprinting the last hundred yards. 
Saturday a mile trial on time. Sunday some walking. 

It is an undeniable fact that athletes in this country do not 
seem to be able to make a success of running distances. 
Although more men try for the short distances than for the 
long, there are a greater number of failures at the longer dis- 
tances. The lack of endurance and ability to stay is very 
marked w r hen one of our athletic teams meets an English 
team in a track athletic contest. While w 7 e are almost sure 
to win all the runs up to the half mile, in the distance runs 
there is absolutely no comparison. In England it is no very 
uucommon thing to have men who can beat four minutes 
twenty seconds for a mile. In fact, at the British champion- 
ships in 1 90 1, the winner, J. Binks, did four minutes, sixteen 
and four-fifths seconds, the second man was only one yard 
back, and the third and fourth men also ran inside four min- 
utes twenty seconds. Our American record is four minutes 
fifteen and three-fifths seconds, but the maker, T. P. Con- 
neff, is not a native of this country, but came over from 
Ireland. Our next best mile, four minutes twenty-one and 
four-fifths seconds, was made by G. W. Orton, who is a 
Canadian. 



41 



CHAPTER VI. 




The Two-Mile Run. 

Two Miles, 9m. 27 3-5S., P. J. Taylor, May 29, 1909. 

T distances of two miles and upwards en- 
durance becomes the one essential and 
speed is practically of no importance what- 
ever. As a preparation for the long-dis- 
tance runs a man should devote his spare 
time during the winter and early spring to 
cross-country running and walking, begin- 
ning easily and gradually extending the 
length of the runs as his-condition grows 
better and better. It is not necessary to run 
every day in the week ; two days' running and one day's walk- 
ing is sufficient, and other sports may be indulged in on the 
off days to give a spice of variety to the training. All this 
work is absolutely necessary to develop the endurance and 
general ruggedness, without which a distance man can never 
be really first-class. 

With the beginning of track work in the Spring the finer 
points must be studied and more attention devoted to the 
stride, the position of the arms and body, and the proper 
manner of breathing. The first consideration should be the 
stride, the exact length of which is a matter of the utmost 
importance to the distance man. Even a few inches in each 
stride will make a difference of yards in long races, so that 
a short choppy stride is fatal, while on the other hand the 
runner must be sure that his stride is a comfortable one and 



43 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS 




Photo by Pictorial Neics Co. 



Plate i 



W. E. SCHUTT WINNING TWO-MILE RUN AT INTERCOLLEGIATE 

GAMES, I9O3. 

that he is not overstriding. While some men try to make 
the thigh muscles do most of the work and others use the leg 
from the knee down, the best way is to use the whole leg 
from the hip down. The athlete must run on the ball of his 
foot with the toes pointed straight forward, taking care not 
to curve the instep or to raise the heels too high behind. 
The body should be carried a little forward and the arms 
should swing easily by the side straight forward and back. 

44 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 

The head should be kept straight up and not thrown back- 
wards. 

It is absolutely essential for the distance runner to be a 
good judge of pace and to know at what rate he is running 
each lap, for a man who is not a good judge of the speed at 
which he is traveling can easily be led into following a de- 
coy runner who is put into the race merely for the purpose of 
drawing out some of the competitors and exhausting them 
by a fast burst of speed at the start. 

As a rule heavy men do not make good distance runners. 
Small men gifted with plenty of strength and endurance, and 
moderately tall men who are not burdened with superfluous 
weight, are the proper candidates for the distance events. 

The training for the two-mile run necessarily consists 
almost entirely of staying-up work, although occasional fast 
work on the straightaway will develop quickness and speed. 
In doing this work, however,, the athlete must remember to 
use his regular stride, for a shorter and quicker stride places 
a different tension on the muscles. A week's work is about 
as follows : Monday an easy two miles. Tuesday a mile 
and a half, with the first mile at a fairly good gait and the 
last half easy. Wednesday a good fast mile. Thursday an 
easy two and a half miles. Friday a fair mile and a half. 
Saturday a two-mile trial. Sunday some walking. 



45 




CHAPTER VII. 
The Half-Mile Walk. 

Half-mile Walk, 3m. 2 2-5S., F. P. Murray, October 22, 1883. 

"** HE only claim of the half-mile walk for con- 
sideration in a work on track athletics lies 
in the fact that it is still retained as one 
of the ten events which go to make up 
the list of the individual all-around cham- 
pionship. 

The first difficulty in store for judges of 
walking and competitors alike is to deter- 
mine where walking ends and running be- 
gins. The test of walking, "square heel 
and toe walking," as it is usually called, is that both 
feet are on the ground at the same time. That is, 
the toe of one foot does not leave the ground until 
the heel of the other foot touches it. To walk fairly the 
knee must be locked as the leg is thrown forward, 
so that the whole leg from the hip down is perfectly 
rigid and remains so while the foot is on the ground, the 
knee, of course, being allowed to bend as the foot is brought 
forward for another stride. This is the first and most im- 
portant principle in fair walking. The legs must work from 
the hips down. At each stride the hips are given free play, 
the body swaying slightly from right to left. This imparts a 
curious rolling motion to the walker's gait whichsoever fails 
to excite the laughter of the onlookers, but which enables 
the walker to get over the ground at a tremendous rate of 
speed. ,; 



47 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Photo by Pictorial Neics Co. 



Plate 16. 



ELLERY H. CLARK WINNING THE HALF-MILE WALK IN THE ALL-AROUND 

CHAMPIONSHIPS OF I9O3. 

One fault which the walker must guard against is walking 
too much upon the heels. This imparts a jerky spring to the 
whole leg and increases the danger of the knee not locking 
properly. There is no attempt to acquire a springy gait in 
the half-mile walk. The step is taken from the whole sole 
of the foot. 

The other essential to fast walking is the use of the arms 
and shoulders. The arms are bent at the elbow, the right 
arm and shoulder being swung forward in unison with the 

48 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 

left leg and vice versa. The arms are allowed to come well 
up across the chest and the elbows are carried low and well 
back. 

Almost every muscle in the body is thus called into play 
in the half-mile walk, and it is an extremely exhausting event 
which calls for much preparation, the strain on the muscles 
of the front of the leg from the knee down being especially 
severe. 



49 




CHAPTER VIII. 
The One Hundred and Twenty Yards High Hurdle. 

1.20 Yards Hurdle, 15s., Forrest C. Smithson, London, 1908. 

HE high hurdle race is one of the prettiest 
and most interesting events of an athletic 
"meeting. There are ten hurdles, three feet 
and six inches in height, and these are 
placed ten yards apart, leaving fifteen yards 
from the start to the first hurdle and fifteen 
yards from the last hurdle to the finish line. 
At all well-regulated meetings each com- 
petitor has a separate set of hurdles. The 
method of hurdling has changed in late 
years. The old style of going over the hurdle was to curl the 
leading leg in such a manner that from the knee down it would 
be almost parallel with the top of the hurdle. The new style 
is to curl the leading leg, but slightly, and, in fact, almost 
stride across the hurdle. This method gives the long-legged 
man a distinct advantage. In training for the high hurdles 
the greatest difficulty is found in reaching the first hurdle at 
top speed, for it is in this first fifteen yards that sufficient 
speed must be developed to carry a man through the full dis- 
tance. If he loses here, he is sure to be slow all through. 
The start used is the same as the sprinting start, but the 
strides to the first hurdle must be arranged so that the ath- 
lete is not too far away from the hurdle or too close to it on 
his take-off step. Very often it is necessary to shorten the 
first few strides, or to start with the right foot forward in- 



51 



PRACTICAL TRACK ANT) FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Plate 17. 



THE OLD STYLE OF CLEARING THE HIGH HURDLES. ELLERY H. CLARK. 

stead of the left, to insure getting this distance correctly. 
There should be three strides between hurdles after landing. 
This necessitates taking-off and landing on the same foot, the 
stride over the hurdle being between thirteen and fourteen 
feet. In practice it should be the main object to get as close 
to the hurdle as possible without touching it, the rear leg 
coming over with the foot turned outwards and not down- 
wards. By trailing downwards the knee is brought low and 
the toes are liable to pull over the hurdle. It is of the utmost 
importance to remember that the longer the body is allowed 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




L'ouilesy of Boston Globe. PlATF 1 8 

THE NEW STYLE. F. W. BIRD OF HARVARD. 

to remain in the air while going over the hurdles the more 
time is wasted. The correct theory of hurdle racing is to 
keep close to the hurdles and to the ground, and to bring the 
legs down again as quickly as possible as each successive 
hurdle is cleared. 

The aspirant for hurdle honors must practice high jump- 
ing and sprinting besides his regular practice over the 
hurdles. He should begin by taking about three flights easily, 
and in all his practice should start exactly fifteen yards away, 
so that he will be learning just how to start and where his 
take-off foot should be in front of the first hurdle. It is not 

53 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Courtesy of Boston Globs- 



Plate 19. 



THE NEW STYLE. J. H. CONVERSE, HARVARD S FAMOUS HURDLER. 

a good plan to hurdle every day. High jumping and sprint- 
ing should be practiced to develop spring and speed. It is 
very good practice to raise the knees in front of the chest. 
This exercise strengthens the muscles which lift the knees. 
Another good exercise for the trailing leg is to raise that leg 
with the knee bent in a trailing position, while the body is 
held as straight as possible, so that the position will be 
nearly that assumed while going over the hurdle. After 
continued practice it will be noticed that the landing leg has 
a tendency to become sore on the shins from the impact with 



54 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 

the track, and most hurdlers are troubled in this way, but as 
a rule the soreness seldom gets so bad that it compels a man 
to stop. A rest of a day or two is usually of great benefit. 
In going over the hurdles the athlete should learn to travel 
in a straight line, for the least tendency towards landing with 
the foot too far under the body will throw the body sideways 
and cause a loss of speed. Always practice sprinting fifteen 
yards after clearing the last hurdle, even when not using the 
full ten flights, to give the faculty of finishing fast. 

A week's programme is something as follows : Monday 
four flights six times to acquire good form, finishing with 
an easy quarter-mile jog. Tuesday three flights four times 
at full speed and then some easy work over the hurdles to 
correct the faults which appear in the speed work. Wednes- 
day six or eight sprinting starts and a fast seventy-five yards 
dash. Thursday six flights three times, practicing a fast 
finish and some easy jogging or a little easy high jumping, 
Friday the whole distance twice at very nearly top speed. 
Saturday a speed trial over the whole distance. 



55 




CHAPTER IX. 

The Two Hundred and Twenty Yards Low Hurdle. 

220 Yards Hurdle, 23 3-5S., A. C. Kraenzlein, May 28, 1898. 

N this event, as in the preceding, ten hurdles 
are used, but they are only two feet and six 
inches in height and are placed twenty yards 
apart, leaving twenty yards from the start 
to the first hurdle and the same distance 
from the last hurdle to the finish. The 
lessened height of the hurdles makes the 
race more a question of sprinting ability 
and less a question of ability to take the 
hurdles properly, although there is a certain 
rhythm in striding over the hurdles which is difficult to ac- 
quire at first. 

The beginner will find that he will be obliged to take 
about nine strides between the hurdles, but after some prac- 
tice he will be able to reduce this number to eight. This 
necessitates springing off each leg alternately, and conse- 
quently is somewhat of a handicap, and the best method, 
which can be accomplished by practice, is to reduce the num- 
ber of strides between the hurdles to seven. The best method 
of taking the hurdles is to stride or practically step across 
them with very little curl of the leg and without any break 
or stop in taking off or landing. As in the high hurdles, the 
athlete must remember that taking the hurdles high is so 
much wasted time. He must skim the hurdles as closely as 



57 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




rhoto by Pictorial News Co. 



Plate 20. 
harry hillman, american second in hurdles. 

possible and must not keep his body in the air an instant 
longer than is necessary. 

Speed work on the flat and over four or five hurdles after 
the athlete has learned to take them properly is the best 
kind of practice, but a trial through the whole distance at 
least once a week for staying-up work should not be 
neglected. Ondayswhenno hurdlingisdonesome starting and 
long sprinting and some easy quarter miles will prove bene- 
ficial. The programme for an average week's work should 
be about as follows: Monday five flights four times at full 
speed and the full distance at a moderate pace. Tuesday 
seven flights at top speed twice, three flights four times fast, 

58 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 

and an easy quarter mile. Wednesday some starting, a little 
practice in taking the hurdles properly, and a fair three hun- 
dred and fifty yards. Thursday five flights three times at 
fair speed. Friday three flights five times at full speed and 
an easy quarter. Saturday a trial over the full distance. 



59 




CHAPTER X. 

The Running High Jump. 

Running High Jump, 6 ft. 5 5-8 in. M. F. Sweeney, September 21, 1895. 

HE running high jump is perhaps the most 
scientific of all the jumping events, and 
there is no event where careful study of 
'the proper method will be better repaid. 
Until within comparatively recent years all 
athletes ran at the bar from one side or the 
other, clearing it in a sitting posture, as 
shown in plate No. 21. It is clear from a 
study of this style of jumping that there is 
a great deal of wasted effort, and that 
sooner or later the hips are bound to strike the bar. This 
danger is avoided by the modern style of jumping which is 
now almost universal. The athlete runs straight at the bar 
and throws his legs high in the air and directly forward, 
causing the body to assume a horizontal position while going 
over the bar. Roughly speaking, the difference between the 
height which can be cleared at the old style and the new is 
from four to six inches. 

Although there are various methods of clearing the bar 
under the present style, the run used is practically the same 
in every case. Some speed is necessary, but a regular sprint 
at the bar is impracticable since the speed acquired would 
carry the body directly forwards and not upwards. On the 
other hand a slow cautious crawl towards the bar, while it 
may be perfectly serviceable at low heights, will not serve 



61 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Photo by Pictorial News Co. PLATE °\ 

THE RUNNING HIGH JUMP. OLD STYLE. MR. GREEN OF BALTIMORE. 

as the bar begins to be raised higher and higher. The 
athlete's spring may carry him up over the bar at almost any 
height, but there his momentum fails him and struggle as 
he may he falls directly upon the bar instead of clearing it. 
The speed with which different jumpers approach the bar 
varies a great deal. Some find that they have to depend to 
a great extent upon speed; others that the spring is for them 
the important part of the jump. The beginning of the run 
may be as slow as the jumper desires, but the last few strides, 
from three to six as a rule, depending upon the physical 

62 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Photo by Pictorial News Co. 



Plate 22. 



THE HIGH JUMP WITH THE TURN. R. P. KERNAN WINNING, HARVARD-YALE 
GAMES, 1902, AT SIX FEET. 

make-up of the jumper, must be long, powerful springs at 
increased speed to give the necessary impetus. The body 
should be bent slightly forward during the run. 

Although the method of clearing the bar is to a great 
extent the same in the case of all jumpers, there are two or 
three variations in style which have lead to a real difference 
of opinion among experts as to the best possible method. 
One class of jumpers, as a rule slim men of unusual height, 
simply gather their legs well up in front of them and shoot 

63 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Courtesy of Boston Herald. 



Plate 23. 
r. p. kernan landing. 



over the bar in a horizontal position with little or no move- 
ment of the body. Jumpers who are not gifted with such 
unusual height have to depend more upon a series of quick 
movements with the legs and body. The jumping foot is 
turned slightly so that in rising the body is turned half 
around. Then just as the body is going over the bar the 
leg from which the athlete has jumped is kicked down and 
out, turning the body completely around, drawing both hips 
and shoulder away from the bar and enabling the jumper 
to land directly facing the point from which he started. 



64 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Photo by Pictorial News Co. PLATE 24. 

THE STRAIGHT OVER METHOD WITHOUT TURN. F. W. C. FOSTER OF HARVARD. 

The leg that is not used to jump from must be thrown high 
in the air as the jumper leaves the ground to give the body 
the necessary horizontal position or "lay out" as it is termed. 
Still another class of jumpers prefer not to turn the jumping 
foot at all, or at the most very slightly. The knee of the leg 
not used to jump from is drawn in close to the chest and 
then shot out with tremendous force. The leg from which 
the athlete has jumped follows suit, and then to avoid the 
danger of the hips touching the bar a jerk is given with the 
back and shoulders and the hips are curved up and over the 

65 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 

bar. Each style of jumping has its advocates, and the merits 
and defects ot these various sub-divisions of the same general 
style are so eveniy balanced that no absolutely decisive opin- 
ion can be expressed. 

The commonest fault with beginners at high jumping is 
to jump every day and to keep on trying to do their highest 
on every occasion. It is extremely easy to grow stale by 
doing too much jumping. Three times a week is ample, 
twice for easy work at comparatively low heights to obtain 
good form and once for a regular trial for height. On the 
off days practice in starting and good lively jogging up and 
down on the toes is good exercise for developing spring. 

The shoes for the running high jump should have a strong 
heel with two spikes and a circle of sponge rubber should be 
worn inside the shoe. 



CHAPTER XI. 




The Running Broad Jump. 

Running Broad Jump, 24 ft. 7 1-4 in. M. Prinstein, April 28, 1900. 

SUCCESSFUL broad jumper must possess 
two qualities, speed and spring. It seems 
probable that in nine cases out of ten the 
former of these qualities is emphasized at 
the expense of the latter. It does not re- 
quire any great skill to run down for the 
take-off at full speed, and nearly every 
sprinter of fair ability can clear nineteen or 
twenty feet without effort. The successful 
broad jumper, however, is the man who 
realizes that it is a genuine jump which he is attempting and 
not a sprint with a perfunctory lifting of the legs at its con- 
clusion. 

The first thing for the beginner to do is to find out the 
exact length of the run which he must take preparatory to 
the jump itself. Speaking generally, it is customary to take 
about sixteen strides, which cover a distance of about one 
hundred feet. It is a good plan for the beginner to make 
two marks, one fifty feet and one a hundred feet from the 
take-off. He must begin to run at good speed and increase 
the pace until when he strikes the fifty foot mark he will be 
travelling at top speed. From the fifty mark on the runner 
must exert every effort, for every bit of additional speed will 
impart so much more momentum to the body after it leaves 
the ground. The strides must be of natural length. If the 



67 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Plate 25. 
the running broad jump. ellery h. clark leaving the take-off. 

last stride is too long the body is thrown backwards and a 
weak jump is the result; if too short the body is pitched too 
far forward and the jumper has no chance to get up into 
the air. The final stride should bring the toe exactly even 
with the outer edge of the take-off board. The exact dis- 
tances for each individual athlete can be discovered only by 
a good deal of practice, and the condition of the jumping 
path, the direction and velocity of the wind and the tem- 
perature of the day are all factors which must be taken into 
consideration in lengthening or shortening the distances. 

68 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Photo by Pictorial News Co. p. AT ^fi 

MEYER PRINSTEIN, AMERICA'S GREATEST BROAD JUMPER, IN MID-AIR. 

The discovery of the proper length of the run, valuable as 
it is, is of secondary importance to the jump itself. It is 
absolutely imperative for the athlete to get well up into the 
air. To do this he must be able to run down to the take-off 
with full confidence that he will strike the board correctly, 
and must have his mind intent on the moment when he 
springs from the board. The body must be bent a little for- 
ward and when the spring is made both knees must be raised 
as high as possible and held there until the moment when 
the jux-nper is about to touch the ground. Then the feet 

6q 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Plate 27. 
ellery h. clark with knees well raised in the middle of the jump. 

should be thrown as far in advance of the body as possible. 
Shoes for broad jumping should have a strong heel with 
two spikes in addition to the six spikes in the sole of the 
shoe, and a circle of sponge rubber on the inside of the shoe 
under the heel to prevent the danger of a stone bruise. 
There is considerable jar on landing from a broad jump, and 
it is a good rule never to jump unless the landing-place is 
carefully dug up. 

. The ambitious broad jumper must be extremely careful 
not to practice too much. It is one of the easiest events on 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 

the whole program at which to become stale, and really first- 
class jumpers have been known to go backwards week after 
week from excessive practice, so that from clearing twenty- 
one or twenty-two feet without difficulty, they were forced 
to exert every effort to accomplish a jump of nineteen or 
twenty feet. Three times a week is enough to jump, and an 
actual trial should not be indulged in more than once a week. 
Practice at starting, sprinting and high jumping will fill in 
the odd days and prevent a man from going stale. A pro- 
tracted number of attempts on the same day should also be 
avoided. A jumper should never make more than a dozen 
attempts at one time and if his work is fairly satisfactory it 
is better to limit the number to six or eight. 



fi 



CHAPTER XII. 




The Pole Vault. 

Pole Vault, 12 ft. 9 1-2 in. W. R. Dray, June 12, 1908. 

S an object of interest to the spectators the 
pole vault often suffers from the great 
amount of time which it takes up, and from 
the fact that it is usually placed at the very 
end of the program of events. On the 
other hand, it is the most spectacular of all 
the field events and the sight of the athlete 
clearing the bar at a height of eleven feet 
or more never fails to arouse the enthusi- 
asm of the onlookers. 
Unlike the high jump, where different styles are permis- 
sible, there is practically but one correct style of pole vault- 
ing and the slightest deviation from good form is certain to 
cost the performer dear. 

Two marks should be used, as in the running broad jump, 
one about fifty feet and one about a hundred feet from the 
take-off, and while the athlete, encumbered with the long 
pole which he carries, cannot run at the take-off with the 
same speed which he would use if he were trying a broad 
jump, he must nevertheless remember that to get over any 
considerable height he must be travelling at pretty nearly 
top speed. Before starting to take his run the vaulter places 
his pole against the cross bar, measures with his eye the point 
where it touches, and places his right hand a few inches 
above this point. The left hand is placed lower down and 



n 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Photo by Pictorial News Co. 



Plate 28. 



POLE VAULTING. THE OLD STYLE. 



the end of the pole which is to be placed in the ground is 
carried somewhat higher than the vaulter's head as he runs 
down to the take-off, so that when he makes his vault the 
sudden drop of this end of the pole imparts a powerful 
impetus upwards to the other end and enables him to leave 
the ground just as the pole enters it. If the pole is placed 
In the ground before the athlete makes his effort, a tremend- 
ous strain comes on the middle of the pole and the danger 
of a broken pole and an injured athlete becomes imminent. 
Formerly the position of the hands remained the same 



74 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Photo by Pictorial Neus Co. PLATE 2Q 

THE NEW STYLE. MCLANAHAN OF YALE. 

when the vault was made, but a glance at plate No. 28 will 
make it clear that no very forcible pull can be exerted while 
the hands are placed in this manner. The present method 
is to shift the lower hand upwards when the pole is placed 
in the ground. Then with both hands in a natural position 
for a strong effort the athlete pulls up with all his force, gets 
his feet higher than his head for a clean shoot over the bar 
and when the pole is nearly upright lets go and lifts his arms 
straight up so that they will not strike the cross bar in his 
descent. The body is turned directly over the bar as the 

75 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 

athlete clears it and he should land facing the direction from 
which he has jumped. 

Vaulting poles are usually made of spruce and may be 
solid or hollow, or may contain a steel rod or be made en- 
tirely of steel. They are from twelve to eighteen feet in 
length and should be wound with electric tape to make the 
vaulter certain to get a secure grip. Some poles are made 
with a metal spike at the end, but the majority of successful 
pole vaulters prefer to have the pole blunt at the end and 
to make a hole in front of the take-off in which to place the 
pole and prevent its slipping. 

As in high jumping and broad jumping it is a mistake 
to vault more than three times a week. Exercise tending to 
strengthen the upper arms and shoulders should be prac- 
ticed in addition to the regular practice at pole vaulting. 
It is the temptation of many athletes to practice at low 
heights which they can clear at ease with the idea that they 
are attaining a good style. It seems probably that after a 
good style is obtained this practice at low heights does more 
harm than good foi the speed of the run, the pull upwards 
and the whole style of the vault are materially different if 
the cross bar is at a height of eight feet or at a height of 
eleven feet. 



/6 




CHAPTER XIII. 
Putting the Sixteen-Pound Shot. 

Putting the Shot, 51 ft. Ralph Rose, August 21, 1909. 

ERHAPS no other athletic event furnishes 
such a diversity of styles as those seen in 
putting the 16-pound shot. Really good 
athletes who have attained proficiency in 
shot putting differ as to the best method of 
holding the shot, the position of the hand 
and arm, the balance of the body and the 
position of the feet. It may fairly be said, 
however, that much of this apparent differ- 
ence of opinion depends on the physical 
characteristics of the performers. A man with a large hand 
may prefer to hold the shot in an entirely different manner 
from that employed by a man with a small hand; a very 
muscular man may prefer a slower style of putting while a 
light, active man may have to acquire greater speed to make 
up for his deficiency in weight. 

There are three or four cardinal principles, however, on 
which all students of shot putting are agreed. 

First the elbow must be kept close to the body. If the 
elbow is allowed to come out from the body a weak put made 
entirely with the arm is the result. To drive the shot with 
the weight of the body behind it, the elbow must be kept nr 
and down. 

In the second place the position of the body and of the 
feet at the conclusion of the-hop are of the utmost impor- 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLF/TTCS. 




Courtesy of Boston Herald 



Plate 30. 



PUTTING THE SHOT. POSITION AT STARTING USED BY C. H. ROBINSON OF 

HARVARD. 

tance. Equally good performers adopt different positions 
at the start of the put and many curious mannerisms become 
habits which the athlete is unable to overcome. However 
the performer may start his put, whether the body be 
swung to the right or to the left, whether the weight is 
forward or back and whether the shot is held away from the 
body or close to it, well in advance of the shoulder or be- 
hind, does not make any vital difference. The position on 
landing from the first hop is the really important part of 

78 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Courtesy of Boston Herald. 



Plate 31. 



STARTING POSITION OF FRED BECK OF YALE, THE INTERCOLLEGIATE CHAMPION. 

the put. Some performers believe that the weight of the 
body should be far back , but it will readily be seen that this 
has a tendency towards causing a slower put, as the body has 
to swing just so much further forward before the second 
hop can actually be taken. It seems probable that the body 
at the conclusion of the first hop should be upright or nearly 
so. Again, many performers have a trick of throwing the 
body around to the right as the first hop is made. This has 
a tendency to impart a circular motion to the put when the 
final effort is made and is apt to force the elbow away from 

79 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Photo by Pictorial News Co. 



Plate 32. 
ralph rose putting the shot. 



the body. The body should be about at right angles to the 
direction in which the shot is going. 

In the third place the finish of the put is the time when the 
chief effort must be made. It is the besetting sin of novices 
to start by making a long hop at great speed and finish with 
a weak half turn of the body. The first hop must be made 
slowly and is in reality little more than a preparatory move- 
ment to place the body in correct position for putting and at 
the same time have it in motion and not completely at a 
stand still. The moment the right foot touches the ground 

80 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




MIDWAY IN THE PUT. 



Plate 33. 

harry gill, professional all-around champion 
of america. 



after the hop the chief effort must be made. The spring for- 
ward from the right leg and the drawing back of the left 
turns the body completely around and the performer should 
follow out the shot with his right arm as far as he possibly 
can. 

The novice at this event will do well by beginning the put 
from a stand, the body turned slightly to the left, the weight 
well forward on the ball of the right foot and the elbow well 
down and in. When a put is made the body is swung around 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Courtesy of Boston Herald, PLATE ^4. 

MIDWAY IN THE PUT. RICHARD SHELDON OF YALE. 

until it is at right angles to the direction in which the shot is 
going. A sudden spring forward is made from the right 
foot while the left foot is drawn back with equal rapidity 
and the right arm with the full weight of the body behind 
it shoots out to its fullest extent. As in almost every other 
athletic event, it is a question of applying the force at the 
right moment. 

After the performer becomes familiar with this style of 
putting he should try the regulation stvle of putting with a 
hop. The start is the same as in putting from a stand and 

82 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Phntn by Pictoriil News Co. "Dt at-tt -5 C 

THE FINISH OF THE PUT. RALPH ROSE. 



the only real difference in the put is the advantage gained 
from the additional momentum imparted to the body by the 
preliminary hop. To counterbalance this advantage there 
is the constant danger of falling into one or more serious 
errors. The hop may be made too quickly, the weight of 
the body may be either too far forward or too far back, the 
necessary balance may be destroyed and perhaps most com- 
mon of all, the elbow may be allowed to leave the body 
either backwards or sideways, making a good put an im- 
possibility. 

83 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 

When the feet have once landed, the performer must take 
great care not to lose the benefit of the momentum thus 
gained, but must bring the right shoulder and arm around 
with lightning rapidity and must follow the shot through 
and out as far as he possibly can. 

Plenty of practice during the earlier stages of training 
fo'r the shot put is desirable, but after the muscles are in 
good condition and the athlete is putting in good form very 
much practice and especially very much practice at one time 
is to be avoided. The speed, the "jump" at the one particu- 
lar instant is so important that the muscles must be kept 
fresh for the task assigned to them. After the athlete is 
once in good form, two or three practice puts and eight or 
ten puts for distance daily are enough to keep him in condi- 
tion. 



84 



CHAPTER XIV. 




Throwing the Sixteen-Pound Hammer. 

Tli rowing the Hammer, 184 ft. 4 in. J. Flanagan, July 24, 1909. 

HE gradual evolution of the hammer from 
the iron ball and stiff wooden handle of old 
times to the lead ball and slender wire 
handle of to-day has been accompanied by 
a no less remarkable change in the method 
of throwing it. 

The old style, still in vogue at the Cale- 
donian games, was to throw the hammer 
from a stand without a turn, and this method 
is probably the best to enable the beginner to 
acquire the rudimentary principles of the game. The per- 
former should stand with his back turned squarely to the di- 
rection in which he intends to throw, with his feet about a 
foot apart and in an easy and natural position. The hammer 
head rests on the ground to the right and the body is turned 
slightly to the right as the throw is begun (plate 36) . The 
head of the hammer should be kept as close to the ground as 
possible and to accomplish this, the hands should be kept 
low and to the right, bringing the hammer head nearest the 
ground at a point back of the right shoulder. 

Perhaps the most important principle in throwing the 
hammer is the proper distribution of the weight of the body. 
If the body is kept perfectly erect, the pull of the hammer, 
as it comes back over the right shoulder, throws the body to 
the right and when the hammer is to be delivered, the final 
jerk, instead of imparting the necessary impetus to the ham- 



85 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Photo by Pictorial Neics Co. PLATE "?6. 

THE START OF THE THROW. CHAMPION J. S. MITCHELL. 

mer, throws the performer off his balance. In common 
athletic parlance, the hammer throws the man instead of the 
man throwing the hammer (plate 38). To counteract this 
pull of the hammer, the body is thrown to the left as the 
swing is begun, bringing the weight of the body on the left 
leg. 

Now suppose that the left shoulder is swung still further 
around to the left. Even although the weight is rightly dis- 
tributed, the result must be that the hammer gets around too 
quickly and again when the final effort is made, the hammer 

86 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Plate 37. 

the first swing of the hammer around the head. throwing from a 

stand. ellery h. clark. 

is so far in advance of the body that it is the man and not the 
hammer that is thrown (plate 39). To keep the hammer 
properly behind the body and well under control, the body 
must be turned to the right when the swing is begun. 

Plate 40 showns good form in throwing the hammer from 
a stand and the three principles referred to are well illus- 
trated. The hammer is close to the ground, the weight of 
the body is on the left leg and the body is turned to the right, 
so that the hammer is well back and under good control. 

87 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




photn in/ Pictorial News Co t> n 

r ATE 38. 

WEIGHT OF BODY TOO FAR TO RIGHT. MAHONEY OF THE N. Y. A. C. 

The speed with which the hammer is swung is a very 
important consideration and must be carefully regulated. 
It is a constant temptation not only to the novice, but to the 
skilled performer as well as to imagine that the rapid swing 
of the hammer means a powerful throw. Nothing could be 
more erroneous. Whatever quick work is necessary is done 
with the body, legs and arms and the motion imparted to 
the hammer is comparatively slow. In throwing from a 
stand the weight is swung very slowly the first time, a little 

88 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Photo hij Pictorial Kens Co. PLATE ^Q 

BODY TURNED TOO FAR TO LEFT. F. W C. FOSTER OF HARVARD. 

faster the second and the crucial moment is reached midway 
in the third swing. Here as the hammer falls over the right 
shoulder every ounce of strength is applied and the per- 
former pivots around on his left foot bringing the arms well 
up and through to give the necessary elevation. 

The speed reached by thus swinging the hammer around 
the body is necessarily moderate and after the beginner feels 
that he has reached a reasonable degree of proficiency in 
throwing from a stand, the next step is to attain greater 
momentum. This is acquired by making a complete revolu- 

89 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Plate 40. 
correct form in throwing with single turn. ellery h. clark 

tion of the body, known as the single turn, and this was for 
many years, until the comparatively recent introduction of 
the double and triple turns, the recognized style of throwing 
the hammer. Some performers prefer to start with the feet 
close together and then, just before the turn, to move the 
left foot back. The left foot is the pivot upon which the 
body revolves and it seems preferable to start with it some- 
what back as shown in plate 40. The hammer is swung 
twice around the head exactly as in throwing from a stand 
and, on the third swing, the body revolves on the left foot 
as rapidly as possible. Even greater care than in throwing 

90 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Plate 41. 
just before the turn. 

from a stand must be taken to preserve the proper balance 
and turn of the body, and to keep the hammer well behind 
and under control. The right foot leaves the ground com- 
pletely and strikes again in the rear of the left. Then the 
left foot is brought back and strikes the ground so that the 
position is almost the same as in throwing from a stand. 
Then the final turn is given to the body and the greater 
momentum, thus acquired, should make a difference of 
twenty-five or thirty feet in the length of the throw. The 
finish of the throw is shown in figure 44. 

91 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Photo by Pictorial News Co. 



Plate 42. 



THE FIRST SWING IN THE DOUBLE TURN. ADAM B. GUNN, ALL-AROUND 
AMATEUR CHAMPION OF AMERICA, IQOI-I902. 

A few years ago the double turn was introduced and a 
few of the most skilful and scientific hammer throwers can 
even revolve three times and still stay within a seven-foot 
circle. A somewhat different method from that used in 
learning the single turn must be made use of in learning the 
more complicated double turn. All the available space of 
the seven-foot circle is necessary and consequently the left 
foot is not placed behind the right, as in the single turn. In 
like manner the hammer cannot be swung so far behind the 

92 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Photo by J. C. Hemment. 



Plate 43. 



JOHN FLANAGAN, WORLDS CHAMPION HAMMER THROWER, IN THE DOUBLE 

TURN. 

right shoulder and the body cannot be turned so far to the 
right. The use of these methods results in a long throw, 
but the distance traversed by the body is so great that it is 
practically impossible to stay inside the circle. Methods 
differ among various good performers with the hammer, 
but it is probably most effectual to keep the weight well on 
the toes, the body not bent back but erect or a little forward 
and the back turned squarely to the direction in which the 
throw is to be made. This makes the first turn necessarily a 

93 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Plate 44. 
the finish of the throw. ellery h. clark. 

short one and leaves space enough in the circle for a second 
turn to be made more like that used in the single turn. The 
natural error is to make the first too rapid and thus allow 
the hammer to get ahead of the body, so that the second 
turn instead of proving an additional advantage is really a 
handicap, and a throw results shorter than that obtainable 
with a single turn. The first turn should be comparatively 
slow and really amounts to little more than to get the body 
in proper position for a quick second turn with the additional 
advantage of being actually in motion, instead of at rest, as 

94 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Plate 45. 
throwing the 56-pound weight. the start of the throw. 

in the single turn. Just as in the single turn, the important 
moment was the middle of the third swing of the hammer 
round the head; so in the double turn the important moment 
is when the feet touch the ground after the first revolution 
of the body. All possible speed must be applied at this 
moment to get the body around well ahead of the hammer. 
Correct form with the double turn should mean an additional 
twenty-five feet over the distance gained with a single turn. 
The triple turn is merely an extension of the double turn 
principle and marks the acme of scientific hammer throwing, 

95 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 

It is possible only for the strongest and most skilful of our 
hammer throwers, and even then there is a constant tendency 
towards fouling. The double turn offers difficulties enough 
to the ordinary athlete and even the single turn requires care- 
ful thought and study. The prevailing notion that success 
in hammer throwing depends merely on brute strength is 
most erroneous. It is doubtful if there is another event on 
the athletic programme where careful and scientific study 
will be better repaid. 

It is not an easy matter to overtrain while practicing for 
the hammer throw. As a rule, plenty of good hard work 
is desirable and the greater the amount of intelligent practice 
up to a reasonable limit, depending on the physique of the 
performer, the better the results to be obtained. 



96 



CHAPTER XV. 




Throwing the Fifty-Six Pound Weight. 

Throwing the 56-lb. Weight, 36 ft. 9 1-2 in. J. Flanagan, October 20, 1901 

H ROWING the fifty-six pound weight does 
not find a place on the list of college athletic 
sports, but it is placed on the championship 
list of the Amateur Athletic Union and is 
one of the ten events which go to make up 
the all-around championship programme, 
where the competitors as a rule are older 
and more experienced. At first sight the big, 
lead ball seems a formidabje missile and for 
the unskilled performer there is every chance 
to expend a huge amount of misdirected energy and constant 
danger of a strained or pulled muscle. To the performer, 
however, who understands the art of throwing the weight, it 
presents no more difficulties than the hammer. Competitors 
who lack the necessary strength often try to throw the 
weight from a stand or to revolve once in the circle without 
swinging the weight around the head, but these methods of 
throwing cannot result in a throw of any length and the only 
problems with which we need to concern ourselves are throw- 
ing the weight with a single and with a double turn. 

The theory is exactly the same as in throwing the hammer, 
except that the greater weight of the fifty-six requires an 
exaggeration of the principles used in throwing the lighter 
weight. The start for the single turn is shown in plate 45. 
As the weight swings over and behind the right shoulder the 



97 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Plate 46. 
the first swing. 

pull exerted is necessarily tremendous, and to counteract this 
pull and prevent the body from being thrown entirely oft its 
balance the weight must be thrown far over on the left leg, 
and, in addition, forward a little, so that the weight of the 
body comes upon the ball of the left foot and not upon the 
heel. In addition, the body must be turned well to the right 
and the weight must be allowed to swing low over the right 
shoulder, for keeping the weight well behind the body is 
absolutely essential for a throw of any length. The moment 
the weight gets in front of the body the performer is thrown 

98 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Plate 47. 
just before the turn. 

off his balance or even thrown to the ground by the force 
exerted as the weight leaves his hands. 

The turn of the body is made exactly as in the case of the 
hammer. Plate 47 shows the position before the turn, and 
plate 48 shows both feet on the ground and the weight well 
behind and under control. 

Throwing the fifty-six with a double turn is a problem 
which need not trouble most athletes, for exceptional 
strength is required to keep control of the weight under these 
circumstances. The principle is the same **s in throwing 

99 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Plate 48. 
the final effort. 



the hammer. The weight of the body is further forward on 
the toes, the left foot is not placed so far back and the weight 
itself is not swung so far back over the right shoulder during 
the first turn. 



TOO 



CHAPTER XVI. 



Throwing the Discus. 



Throwing the Discus, 139 ft. 10 1-2 in. 
September 15, 1909. 



M. J. Sheridan, 




ISCUS throwing was unknown in America 
until 1896, when the revival of the sport 
at the Olympic Games, at Athens, and the 
winning of the event by a member of the 
American team caused its introduction on 
the list of athletic sports in this country. 

The discus is made of wood, brass and 
steel, and is circular in shape. It is eight 
inches in diameter, about two inches thick 
in the middle, and a rfalf inch thick at the 
edges. Its weight is about four and a half pounds. 

According to Greek rules the athlete stands at the back 
of a six-foot square, facing the direction in which he is to 
throw. The discus is held in the right hand, with the 
fingers spread around the edge and the discus resting against 
the arm. Then a quick step is taken, first with the right and 
then with the left foot, and the right arm is swung: back- 
wards at the same time. The right leg and the right arm 
come forward together with much the same motion used in 
the finish of the shot put. When the right arm is brought 
forward it must be perfectly straight and the wrist must be 
bent over and forward so that when the discus leaves the 
fingers it will be almost flat and scale through the air in 
much the same manner as a clay pigeon shot from a trap. 
Under the Greek rules all throws are measured from the 



101 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Plate 49. 
throwing the discus. old style. 

point where the discus drops at right angles to the front of 
the box, or if the throw is not made in a straight line at 
right angles to the front of the box extended. 

Under the rules now in force in this country the discus is 
thrown from a seven-foot circle to secure uniformity with 
the shot, hammer and fifty-six pound weight. Although 
some athletes still throw from the circle in the same manner 
as they would in throwing from the six-foot square, the 
prevailing method is to treat the discus as if it were in a 
class with the hammer and fifty-six pound weight. The 
athlete stands at the back of the circle with his back towards 



102 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Ph<4o by Pictorial Xetcs Co. Pj A-rp en 

THE NEW STYLE. MARTIN J. SHERIDAN THROWING DISCUS. 

the direction in which he intends to throw. The right arm 
is swung back and a quick revolution of the body is made 
on the left foot, as in the case of throwing the hammer with 
a single turn. Some performers even turn twice to gain 
additional momentum. The principles are the same as in 
the other weight events. The discus must be kept back of 
the body and the right arm must follow well out and through 
at the conclusion of the throw. 



103 



CHAPTER XVII. 

The All-Around Championship. 




HE foregoing chapters have been written 
with the intention of pointing out the way 
to proficiency in each particular event, for 
the average athlete aims to excel in one, 
two, or, at most, three events. For those 
with higher ambitions, there remains to be 
considered the subject of training for the 
all-around individual championship, held 
annually in July, and often referred to as 
the "blue ribbon" event of the athletic year. 
The term "all-around championship" is certainly no mis- 
nomer, for the programme calls for proficiency in every 
known branch of track and field athletics. The athlete's 
running powers are tested by the one hundred yards dash, 
the one hundred and twenty yards hurdle race and the mile 
run; his jumping abilities by the running high jump, run- 
ning broad jump and pole vault, and his strength and 
knowledge of weight throwing by the sixteen pound shot, 
the sixteen pound hammer and the fifty-six pound weight 
The program is rounded out by the half-mile walk, an event 
no longer in favor on athletic programs, which is retained 
on the all-around list only because it was placed there origi- 
nally and a change in the list of events would render them 
valueless as a basis of comparison. Surely a more complete 
test could hardly be devised. Speed, spring, strength and 
endurance are all necessary, and inability to meet any one 



10 K 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 




Plate 51. 
harry gill, professional all-around champion of america. 

of these requirements is fatal, since each performance is 
marked on the scale of one thousand points, the maximum 
being represented by the world's record in that event, while 
the minimum is represented by a performance so poor as 
to be practically within the reach of all. 

A light man can hardly hope to prove a successful all- 
around athlete, for, while he may do well at the runs and 
jumps, and even learn to put the shot creditably, the ham- 
mer and the fifty-six pound weight are apt to be a fatal 
stumbling block. Of course it does not require a giant for 

106 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 

these events; the present champion, who weighs one hundred 
and sixty pounds, has thrown the hammer one hundred and 
forty feet, and the fifty-six pound weight thirty-three feet, 
but a man should weigh at least one hundred and fifty 
pounds and should possess strength and science in order to 
master these two events. 

The all-around athlete is usually a man with a genuine 
love for athletics, who has spent considerable time not only 
in training himself, but in w T atching others perform and in 
studying the method underlying each event. He must be 
naturally rugged and able to stand a great deal of work 
without feeling it, for a very thorough preparation is neces- 
sary and it is not an easy task to train for ten different 
and varied events at the same time. The endurance necessary 
for the mile run and the half-mile walk, and the strength 
required to throw the weights well, can only be attained at 
a sacrifice of speed and spring. On the other hand, light 
work for the sprints, hurdles and jumps leaves the athlete in 
good shape for these events, but unable to stand for the 
wear and tear of the long competition. 

The best rule in training for the all-around championship 
is to acquire strength and endurance at any cost. They are 
absolute requisites to success, and a lay-off for three or four 
days before the competition will bring back much of the 
spring lost by doing much work. 

There is a constant temptation to do a little work at each 
event every day. This must be avoided, for while the 
muscles receive the required amount of work, the mind goes 
from one event to another so rapidly that a mere smattering 
of the method of performance is all that is gained and no 
thorough study so sure to be attended with good results is 
practicable. The best method is to work at four or five 
events every day and to make every moment count, keeping 
constantly on the alert to discover means of improvement 

107 



1'KACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 



1 


1 M W ' \ 


9 ^^^^B ^™i ' 


^H^^ <jjHP 



Plate 52. 

lllery h. clark, ex-all-around amateur champion of america, 

present all-around amateur champion of new england. 

and to avoid falling into casual errors which may become 
serious faults. 

The aspirant for all-around honors should begin his 
training the first of January, but during January and Feb- 
ruary he should treat his work merely as easy recreation, in- 
tended to get him in shape for more serious efforts later on. 
Light gymnasium work, easy distance running, a little prac- 
tice at sprinting, shot putting, high jumping and pole 
vaulting will get the muscles in good shape, so that stiffness 
and soreness need not be dreaded when the athlete begins 
harder work. This should be done about March first, and 
during this month special attention should be paid to the 
shot, high jump, pole vault, walk and mile run. On April 



108 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 



W^ 4 


■■■■ 


ii 


•* 

1 


• 

' *"*■ «. Jim 'J 


1 

1 ' . 

.....^._ J> 

—J ~d 



MARTIN J. SHERIDAN, PRESENT ALL-AROUND CHAMPION AND 
RECORD-HOLDER. 



first, which marks the beginning of the outdoor season, the 
athlete should turn his attention to the sprint, the hurdles, 
the broad jump, the hammer and the fifty-six pound weight. 
During May and June the program for the week should be 
somewhat as follows : On Monday half a dozen starts and 
a fifty yards at full speed, then half a dozen puts with the 
shot and some throws with the fifty-six, some easy high 
jumping, with special attention to form and a fairly good 
three-quarter mile run. On Tuesday three trials over four 
hurdles, three broad jumps, eight or ten throws with the 
hammer and a fair half mile walk. On Wednesday a one 
hundred yards trial, shot put, throwing the fifty-six, some 
easy pole vaulting and a fairly good half mile, striding out 

iog 



PRACTICAL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETICS. 

well and running well up on the toes. On Thursday the full 
distance over the hurdles, hammer throwing, high jumping 
and a fast quarter mile walk. On Friday repeat Monday's 
program, with a few trials at the broad jump substituted for 
the high jump. On Saturday repeat Tuesday's work with 
the pole vault in place of the broad jump. 

It is very evident that training for the all-around cham- 
pionship is not a task to be undertaken lightly. No one 
should undertake it unless he has plenty of strength and 
takes thorough enjoyment in the work of preparation. On 
the other hand, if the athlete possesses these requisites the 
reward is well worth working for. The varied work at the 
different events builds up all the different muscles and aids 
wind and limb and if at the conclusion of the period of train- 
ing the athlete can go through the actual competition with 
a score of fifty-five hundred points or better, he may well 
feel that he has attained a good working knowledge of the 
various branches of track and field athletics. 



TIO 



APR 18 1910 



One copy del. to Cat. Div. 



':■ MH 



